"All in the world call me great; but I resemble the unlikely.
Now a man is great only because he resembles the unlikely.
Did he resemble the likely, how lasting, indeed, would his mediocrity be!
I have three treasures which I cherish and prize.
The first is called compassion.
The second is called economy.
The third is called not daring to come to the front in the world.
The compassionate can be brave;
The economical can be generous;
Those who dare not come to the front in the world can become perfect as chief
vessels.
Now, if people discard compassion and are brave;
If they discard economy and are generous;
If they discard modesty and are ambitious, they will surely die."
- Translated by
D. T. Suzuki and Paul Carus, 1913,
Chapter 67

"All the world says that, while my Tao is great, it yet appears to be
inferior to other systems of teaching.
Now it is just its greatness that makes it seem to be inferior.
If it were like any other system, for long would its smallness have been known!
But I have three precious things which I prize and hold fast.
The first is gentleness; the second is economy; and the third is shrinking from
taking precedence of others.
With that gentleness I can be bold;
With that economy I can be liberal;
Shrinking from taking precedence of others, I can become avessel of the highest
honor.
Now-a-days they give up gentleness and are all for being bold;
Economy, and are all for being liberal;
The hindmost place, and seek only to be foremost;
Which in the end is death.
Gentleness is sure to be victorious even in battle, and firmly to maintain its
ground.
Heaven will save its possessor, by his very gentleness protecting him."
- Translated by
James Legge, 1891, Chapter 67

"In the world each says
My Tao is great and seems to lack resemblance
In the end only great therefore seems to lack resemblance.
It looks like resemblance goes with the long-lasting
With what is tiny as well.
In the end I possess three principles I am obtaining yet defending
One, say compassion
Two, say thrift
Three say lack of venturing to act to precede the world.
Compassion, so be able to be brave
Thrift, so be able to expand
Lack venturing to act to precede the world
So be able to perfect tools of growth.
Right now, abandon compassion just to be brave
Abandon thrift just to expand
Abandon being behind just to precede
Death goes with these.
In the end with compassion
A war happens and next comes conquering
Keeping to it happens and next comes solidity.
The heavens attain helping
It happens that compassion is defending."
- Translated by
David Lindauer, Chapter 67

"Everyone, says that my Tao is great,
seemingly different (from yours).
Because it is great, it seems different.
If it were not different,
it would have vanished long ago.
I have three treasures which I hold and keep.
The first is mercy;
the second is economy (thrifty);
the third is daring not to be ahead of others (which draws jealousy).
From mercy comes courage;
from economy comes generosity;
staying behind ensures maturity and fulfillment.
Nowadays men shun mercy and be brave;
abandon economy and be wasteful;
do not believe in humility, but always try to be the first.
This ensures death.
Mercy brings victory in battle and strength in defense.
If God wants to save him, makes him have mercy."
- Translated by
Tienzen Gong,
Chapter 67

"The Tao may appear to be idealistic, but if you can put
it into practice, you realize its greatness.
There are three traits which are required. 1. Compassion. 2. Patience. 3.
Humility
Compassionate and you can face things the way they are.
Thus you can forgive yourself of any mistake.
Patient and you remain unmoved until the right opportunity arises.
Humble and you overcome self-importance, thus the ego.
In following the Tao, these are your three most valuable treasures."
- Translated by
David Bullen,
Chapter 67

"Compassion, frugality and ruling ...
Everywhere, they say the Way, our doctrine,
Is so very like detested folly;
But greatness of its own alone explains
Why it should be thus held beyond the pale.
If it were only orthodox, long since
It would have seemed a small and petty thing!
I have to keep three treasures well secured:
The first, compassion; next, frugality;
And third, I say that never would I once
Presume that I should be the whole world's chief.
Given compassion, I can take courage;
Given frugality, I can abound;
If I can be the world's most humble man,
Then I can be its highest instrument.
Bravery today knows no compassion;
Abundance is, without frugality,
And eminence without humility:
This is the death indeed of all our hope.
In battle, 'tis compassion wins the day;
Defending, tis compassion that is firm:
Compassion arms the people God would save!"
- Translated by Raymond Blakney, 1955, Chapter 67

"The world calls my Tao great but myself insignificant.
Yes: the clearer Tao manifests the more meaningless the ego becomes.
Worth nothing and without duration is he who wants to rate and be of importance.
Three treasures I guard which endure: the first is compassion the second
frugality the third modesty.
Compassion makes me brave frugality generous modesty a carrier of the eternal.
Today the inconsiderate is called brave the spendthrift generous the go-getter
progressive.
They are progressing away from the essential thing toward decay toward death
while the compassionate conquer through gentleness remaining in existence
through non-resistance.
Heaven fills with compassion those it wants to preserve."
- Translated by
Schmidt, Chapter
67

"The inhabitants of the world all say
that I am greatly tolerant, although I have the
appearance of incompetence.
This apparent incompetence is the
result of my very greatness.
In the case of one who is possessed
of more than ordinary ability, he sets his mind constantly upon
even the smallest matters.
Now there are three things which I
regard as precious, which I grasp and prize.
The first is compassion; the second is
frugality; the third is not venturing to take precedence of
others modesty.
I prize compassion; therefore I am able
to be fearless.
I prize frugality; therefore I am able to be
liberal.
I prize modesty; therefore I am able to become a leader
of men.
But men of the present day abandon compassion, yet aim
at valiancy;
they abandon frugality, yet aim at being liberal;
they abandon modesty, yet aim at leadership.
This is death to
them.
Now when one is compassionate in battle,
he will be victorious.
When one is compassionate in defending,
his defenses will be strong.
When Heaven intends to deliver men,
it employs compassion to protect them."
- Translated by
Frederic Henry Balfour, 1884, Chapter 67

"Everyone under Heaven regards my Tao as Great,
resembling nothing else.
Great, yes; that is the reason it resembles nothing else.
If it resembled anything else, it would have slight chance of survival.
I have three Treasures to hold and protect.
The first is Compassion.
The second is Economy.
The third is not presuming to be the First under Heaven.
Compassion permits Courage.
Economy makes Generosity possible.
Not presuming to be the First under Heaven is a quality of Leadership.
Now, abandon Compassion and consider Courage.
Abandon Frugality and consider Generosity.
Abandon Humility and consider Leadership.
Impossible !
Now, Compassion in battle leads to Victory; Compassion in Defense lends
strength.
Heaven will assist the commander who exhibits Compassion."
- Translated by
Karl Kromal, 2002,
Chapter 67

"Everyone says my Dao is so great that it does not look
like anything.
I say because it is so great, it does not look like anything.
If it were like anything, it would have disappeared long ago.
I have three treasures to keep and protect:
The first is kindness, the second is thrift, and the third is not fighting to be
first.
Only if you are kind, can you be brave;
Only if you are thrifty, can you be generous;
Only if you do not fight to be first, can you be a leader.
However, the people today are not kind but brave,
Are not thrifty but generous,
Are not humble but want to be leaders.
These people are destined for failure.
With kindness, when you fight, you will win; when you defend, you will be
strong.
If the heavens wants to save someone, it will always give him kindness as his
defense."
- Translated by
Xiaolin Yang,
Chapter 67

"Tao is Great and do not have equals or similar to It!
It resides so deeply and is so subtle that one cannot catch It or force It to do
something!
I possess three treasures valuable to me: the first is benevolence, the second
is frugality, and the third is that I do not stand ahead of others.
I am benevolent, thus I can be brave.
I am frugal, thus I can generous.
I do not stand ahead of others, thus I can be a wise leader.
He who is brave without love, generous without frugality, who tries to be ahead
of others and pushes others away — such a person suffers failure.
One of the contrary, he who is full of love achieves victory.
And he is unconquerable because Tao constantly guards him."
- Translated by
Mikhail Nikolenko,
Chapter 67

"The whole world calls my Way vast
And says it resembles nothing else.
It is precisely because it is vast
That it resembles nothing else.
If it resembled something else
How could it be anything but small?
I have three treasures
I hold to and cherish.
The first is compassion,
The second is moderation,
The third is called not rashly
Taking the lead in the realm.
Being compassionate I can show courage,
Being moderate I can be generous,
Not rashly taking the lead
I can command the officials.
Courage without compassion,
Generosity without moderation,
Going in front instead of behind,
Is certain to end in destruction.
With compassion you will win in war
And be impregnable in peace.
Heaven will protect you
With the gift of compassion."
- Translated by
A. S. Kline, 2003, Chapter 67

"In the world many call me great, yet I seem to have no intelligence.
The Master indeed is great, yet he also seems to have no intelligence.
As regards our intelligence, its smallness is of long continuance.
The Master and I have three treasures,
We hold them and prize them.
The first is called "Deep Love,"
The second is called "Protectiveness,"
The third is called "Not planning to be first."
Having Deep Love, you then can have courage.
Having Protectiveness, you then can give freely.
Not planning to be first, you will be a perfect instrument that will endure.
Now, men neglect Deep Love and seek courage,
They put aside Protectiveness and see extravagance.
They leave the second place and seek the first, Then death comes.
The Master fights by means of Love, then he conquers.
He keeps guard by means of it, then he is impregnable.
Heaven will save him and Love will defend him."
- Translated by
Isabella Mears, 1916, Chapter 67

Everyone says: "Nature is great, yet Nature is simple."
It is great
because it is simple.
If it were not simple, long ago it would have come
to little.
Nature sustains itself through three precious principles, which one
does well to embrace and follow. These are gentleness, frugality and
humility.
When one is gentle, he has no fear of retaliation.
When one is frugal,
he has no fear of retaliation.
When one is humble, no one challenges
his leadership.
When rudeness replaces gentleness,
And extravagance replaces frugality, and pride replaces humility,
The one is doomed.
Since a gentle attack arouses little antagonism,
And a gentle defense
provokes little anger,
Nature predisposes to gentleness those most
suited for survival."
- Translated by
Archie J. Bahm, 1958, Chapter 67

"The world talks about honoring the Tao,
but you can't tell it from their actions.
Because it is thought of as great,
the world makes light of it.
It seems too easy for anyone to use.
There are three jewels that I cherish:
compassion, moderation, and humility.
With compassion, you will be able to be brave,
With moderation, you will be able to give to others,
With humility, you will be able to become a great leader.
To abandon compassion while seeking to be brave,
or abandoning moderation while being benevolent,
or abandoning humility while seeking to lead
will only lead to greater trouble.
The compassionate warrior will be the winner,
and if compassion is your defense you will be secure.
Compassion is the protector of Heaven's salvation."
- Translated by
John H. McDonald, 1996, Chapter 67

"All the world avows that while my Taoism is great, it is yet incompetent!
It is its greatness which makes it appear incompetent.
If it were like others, it would long ago have been recognized as incompetent.
But I hold fast to three precious things, which I also cherish.
The first is gentleness.
The second is economy.
The third is humility.
With such gentleness I can be daring.
With such economy I can be generous.
With such humility I can be great in service, as a vessel of honour.
But in these days men forsake gentleness and become only obtrusive.
They abandon economy and become only excessive.
They relinquish humility and strive for precedence, and thus for death.
Gentleness is ever victorious in attack and secure in defence.
Therefore when Heaven would preserve a man it enfolds him with gentleness."
- Translated by
Walter Gorn Old, 1904, Chapter 67

All the world says that my Tao is great and does not seem to resemble
the ordinary.
It is precisely because it is great that it does not
resemble the ordinary.
If it did resemble, it would have been small
for a long time.
I have three treasures. Guard and keep them:
The first is deep love,
The second is frugality,
And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the
world.
Because of deep love, one is courageous.
Because of frugality, one is
generous.
Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes
the leader of the world.
Now, to be courageous by forsaking deep love,
To be generous by
forsaking frugality,
And to be ahead of the world by forsaking following
behind.
This is fatal.
For deep love helps one to win in the case of attack,
And to be firm
in the case of defense.
When Heaven is to save a person,
Heaven will
protect him through deep love."
- Translated by
Wing-Tsit Chan, 1963, Chapter 67

Daodejing by Laozi: Chapters with Chinese characters, seal script,
detailed word by word concordance, Pinyin (tone#), German, French and English.
This is an outstanding resource for serious students of the Tao Te Ching.

Yellow Bridge
Dao De Jing Comparison Table Provides side by side comparisons of
translations of the Tao Te Ching by James Legge, D. T. Suzuki, and Dwight
Goddard. Chinese characters for each paragraph in the Chapter are on the
left; place your cursor over the Chinese characters to see the Hanyu Pinyin
(1982) Romanization of the Chinese character and a list of meanings.

Center Tao.
Includes a brief commentary on each Chapter. A keyword glossary for each
chapter is provided.

Tao Te Ching: The Definitive Edition
By Jonathan Star. Translation, commentary and research tools. New
York, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Penguin, 2001. Concordance, tables, appendices,
349 pages. A new rendition of the Tao Te Ching is provided, then a
verbatim translation with extensive notes. Detailed tables for each verse
provide line number, all the Chinese characters, Wade-Giles (1892) Romanization, and a list of meanings for each character. An excellent
print reference tool!

Two Visions of the Way: A Study of the Wang Pi and the Ho-Shang Kung Commentaries on the Lao-Tzu.
By Professor by Alan Kam-Leung Chan. SUNY Series in Chinese
Philosophy and Culture. State University of New York Press, 1991.
Index, bibliography, glossary, notes, 314 pages.
ISBN: 0791404560.

Chinese Reading of the Daodejing
Wang Bi's Commentary on the Laozi with Critical Text and Translation.
By Professor Rudolf G. Wagner. A SUNY Series in Chinese Philosophy and
Culture. English and Mandarin Chinese Edition.
State University of New York Press; Bilingual edition (October 2003). 540
pages. ISBN: 978-0791451823.
Wang Bi (Wang Pi, Fusi), 226-249 CE,
Commentary on the Tao Te
Ching.

English Versions of the Tao
Te Ching by Lao Tzu. Distributed online by Terebess Asia Online (TAO).
Over 40 English translators' versions of the Daodejing. Each translator's
version, all 81 chapters, are consistently and nicely formatted on a single
webpage. The webpage for each translator's version feature white text
print on a dark brown-reddish background, a top index table, and with numbered
chapters.

Lao-tzu's Taoteching
Translated by Red Pine (Bill Porter). Includes many brief selected
commentaries for each Chapter draw from commentaries in the past
2,000 years. Provides a verbatim translation and shows the text in Chinese
characters. San Francisco, Mercury House, 1996, Second Edition, 184 pages.
An invaluable resource for commentaries.

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